In the final years of the 1980s, I set out on a budget travel adventure to the European continent with a companion. Because my companion was considering pursuing a master’s degree in New York, we had booked a two-week stay there on the way to London.
We arrived at the graduate housing, a sizeable ten-floor structure on the Manhattan's Upper West Side known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we went directly to the cafeteria, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with other diners.
Beside me was an individual of Iraqi origin enrolled in an engineering program at an Ivy League institution. He inquired what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a scientific background and had been working on studies involving microscopic analysis.
He mentioned that there was an electron microscope unit at the institution – close to the school of engineering, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a position with them. I chuckled at the suggestion, explaining that I was soon departing to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, going back to the cafeteria that evening. The engineering student came up to me and informed me that he had set up a meeting for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Because he had gone to the trouble, I attended the interview – but immediately explained to my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
Reflecting the city's spirit – a city where everything seems achievable – she said: “We can make that happen. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I held that position for a trio of years. An advantage of the role was that I also received no-cost classes at Columbia, and I took advantage to earn a graduate degree in global studies.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his name, but his remarkable generosity transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and ask for a job. And, I had always wanted to study abroad, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that free tuition.
Perhaps most importantly, that job in New York resulted in a role in Europe where I got to know my handsome spouse from France, with whom I currently share a family of four kids. It was a total sliding doors moment. That benevolent individual set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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